Amaranth-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Hi, I'm Robin Miller. I have been a recipe developer, nutrition expert and television personality for over 20 years, and I am the author of ten cookbooks, including Robin Takes 5 and the New York Times bestseller, Quick Fix Meals. My popular show, “Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller”, aired on Food Network for 5 years and my blog, Robin’s Healthy Take, is on Food Network’s website. I blog regularly on create YouTube videos whenever I can!

Amaranth-Crusted Chicken Fingers

I love popped amaranth, so I decided to find another use for it (beyond my nourishing breakfast and mid-afternoon snack). Why? Because the wholesome grain is crammed with nutrients! Check it out:

Calcium: Amaranth has more than 3 times more calcium than the average cereal grain.

Iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium: All important minerals that we often fall short on.

Vitamin C:Amaranth is the only “grain” known to contain vitamin C.

Protein: Amaranth is a complete protein, which means it contains all the amino acids necessary to make it “complete”. One cup contains 26 grams (that’s the equivalent of 100 almonds, 2 cups of yogurt or 4 hard-boiled eggs).

Fiber: 1 cup of amaranth has 13 grams (that’s the same as 5 apples, 2 cups of carrots, or 260 grapes).

So…, now you can see why I decided to use amaranth in one of my weeknight staples: oven-baked chicken fingers. It’s my boys’ favorite and, after swapping amaranth for panko bread crumbs, they were sold! I know you’ll love these nutty and crunchy chicken fingers too. The coating is gluten-free (thanks to the amaranth and brown rice flour) and it’s kicked up with the bold flavors of onion, garlic and oregano. The fingers are protein-packed thanks to the combo of chicken and amaranth, and they’re oven-baked, so they’re much healthier than their deep-fried chicken finger cousins. Now it’s your turn to enjoy this super simple, nutrient-rich recipe!

Tip: To make clean up a breeze, instead of using shallow dishes, put the brown rice flour mixture in one zip-top bag and the amaranth in a separate zip-top bag. The only dish you need is for the egg!